Logan's Climbing Blog

Joe's Valley - Spray

2010-11-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

So a little about the rock climbing here:

The sandstone at Joe's is without a doubt some of the most beautiful rock that I've climbed on. Each boulder is streaked with black, white, brown and gray. The holds are varied from tufas, pockets, limestone slicked edges, sticky slopers and technical smears. The climbing tends to be quite dynamic and thuggy. I like it.

So time for the spray. Here are some of my favorite problems that I've been able to tick so far on my trip here!

Dark Continent - V7 - An amazing overhanging arete to face climbing that looks just like Africa
Chips - V7 - Kneebar, toe-hook, pogo. You can ask for more!
Pocket Rocket - V6 - Dyno!
3-Finger Pocket - V5 - Sailing Hawks Classic
V4- Sailing Hawks - Don't know how to describe this problem except for Arkansas-esque
Self Service - V4 - Great problem that reminded me of Hueco movement
Super Sloper - V3 - Classic boulder problem with the most glorious of glory jugs
The Angler - V2 - One of the must do lines at Joe's. Highball!
Warm Me Up Scotty - V1 - Jugs to a great funky and crimpy top out. Gets the blood moving.

Can't wait to get back out tomorrow for some more climbing. Hopefully the snow we are getting today doesn't soil the top outs!!!

Joe's Valley

2010-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm having a writers block of some sort. Had a full rest day on Monday; spent it at the library trying to come up with the words to describe all of my travel up to Joe's, and then the little amount of time that I've spent here but nothing would come of it. We'll give it another shot here now...

Day 1 of freedom was spent hanging out with Kevin Martin down in Denver. There was the intent to climb in the Flatirons in the morning to try and finish off a project there, but intent just wasn't enough to get me there that day.

Days 2 and 3 were spent commuting to Durango, CO and climbing there. A good friend from Sanborn lives there now, so I was able to find shelter on his floor and get the good tour of the bouldering areas at the same time. Definitely was psyched on the amazing sandstone boulders there, and I managed to finish off a few of the local classics! Everything there was great quality, and I am definitely trying to figure out when I'll be able to go back and check it out for a little longer period of time.

Mesa Verde NP

Day 4 I made the drive to Moab and stopped in at Mesa Verde NP on the way. Stunning vistas! Made it into Moab around 6, and went to check the local gear shop out from some info on free camping. Ended up one of the dudes had a free spot in his driveway. Score. He also had a sick 8x12 climbing wall in his house that we bouldered around on all night. It doesn't get much better than that!

Day 5 was split between Arches NP and Canyonlands NP. The beauty of these two places left me speechless to say the least. I've never been to a place that has literally left my awe struck. Everywhere I went, every view left me with the strange unsatisfied feeling; like I was turning my back on something or missing some big part of understanding the true nature of where I was. Road side tourism doesn't do these places justice, and I know that there is something there more for me to see, to understand and I can't wait to get back to those places and discover something great.

Delicate Arch, Arches NP

Canyonlands NP

I made the rest of my commute to Joe's Valley that evening and met up with my buddy from Durango, and a few more folks from Estes.

Day 6 through now have all been spent in Joe's Valley and the boulders that make up the area. The climbing is amazing, and I finally feel like I'm getting adjusted to the area; having been able to start ticking climbs that are right in my range of do-ability.

I keep meaning to take more pictures but when you get super excited about boulder problems it is kind of hard to remember! Better updates are to come, and I'm glad that I finally have this lengthy update out of the way!

Devil's Tower Videos

2010-10-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

3 Days at Devil's Tower

2010-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Got convinced to head up to Wyoming for a few days last week and experience some of the most amazing crack climbing that the country has to offer. I only ended up seconding pitches for the trip, but it was still super exciting to climb amazing splitter cracks in one of the most unique climbing areas in the country.

Here are a few photos from the trip!

At the top of Tolgey Wood 5.10a:

The view of Devil's Tower from the base:

Cheesin':

Pitch 2 El Matador 5.10d. 160 feet of stemming. I have never hurt worse at the top of a rock climb than this one:

Still stemming:

Trying not to hurl at the top of El Matador:

On day 2 we were hexed by a chanting Native American, and swarmed with bees. Day 3, we encountered this little rattler. Possibly the spirit of the Engine?!

Getting a little no hands rest in on Pitch 2 of One Way Sunset 5.10c. You can see the .10c finger crack below. Pitch 2 is all hands. So pumped at the top of that one.

Pulling through the last jugs to the super exposed, bird crap encrusted belay on Pitch 3 of One Way Sunset. This belay literally sits about 20ft. further out from the wall than where we started climbing:

On the top with Justin after topping out One Way Sunset:

Just a few random shots of the amazing feature that is the Devil's Tower:

From afar:

Two weeks of work left then I'm officially out of Estes Park! Psyched to finish off strong with tons of work and hopefully a fair amount of extra cash in the pockets!

Home Soon

2010-09-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Flying into Louisville on Friday to hang with the family and get some rock climbing done. Should be rolling back into the Falls on Sunday afternoon and getting things started. Can't wait to hop back on some of my old projects and see if I can't polish off a few new ones! Psyched beyond measure!

Plans...

2010-08-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

After mulling over everyone else's plans for the winter, I've finally decided to sack up and make my own; do the things that I've always wanted, and the things that will make me happy.

Vague itenerary:

End Oct./Early Nov. - Get the hell out of Estes. Head EAST!

November - Kentucky, Family, Friends

December - W.V., Georgia, Alabama, Home for Christmas

January - Arkansas, to Dallas, TX on the 30th.

January 31st - Catch flight to Madrid, Spain

February/March/April 28 - Wherever the wind blows.

Just booked the tickets too!

Psyched about life!

Finished...

2010-08-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

Laid to rest a 3 or 4 day project for myself today. Fired the thing second go, and I can confidently say that this new line is the hardest thing that I've been able to finish so far in my bouldering career; 17 moves of endurance climbing that stays with you the entire way, and ends with a committing stab to a good sidepull! Hopefully this momentum will pick up and there will be more good news/hard personal sends to report!

Drew Arrives, Sends

2010-08-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

As Wayne made his exodus, another few friends, Drew and his girlfriend Rachelle, rolled right into town. Perfect timing. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't really going to be too cooperative for them during their stay. We were able to salvage a few days though, which were the last two, and spent them in the park bouldering at Lower Chaos.

Drew is still the man. He managed to quickly take down the ultra-classic Autobot the first day, and barely missed and ascent of Mikala. We returned today, warmed-up, and then Drew took down another Lower classic, Potato Chip. He is definitely still crushing, and it is always great to get to spend some quality time outside with some great people. Psyched.

I'm getting close on a few projects of my own, and was able to put a long standing one to rest yesterday with an ascent of Mikala. I'm hoping for a breakthrough sometime here in the very near future...

A few days in the park with Wayne

2010-07-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Wayne, a close friend, who I met at the Y 2 summers ago came into town for a few days, and we were fortunate enough to spend a few days bouldering up in Chaos Canyon together. Here are some photos that he snapped.

Wayne cruising Mikala:

Post-send chit-chat:

Projects...

Possibilities...

2010-07-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

A first draft of destinations for this fall/winter.

Yes, I am already getting this ready to leave Estes.

Pt. 1

View Winter Road Trip - Pt. 1 in a larger map

Pt. 2

View Winter Road Trip - Pt. 2 in a larger map

Pt. 3

View Winter Road Trip - Pt. 3 in a larger map

Pt. 4

View Winter Road Trip - Pt. 4 in a larger map

Pt. 5

View Winter Road Trip - Pt. 5 in a larger map

I'm thinking November - December will take care of the North East, and much of the South East. Then it will be back home for Christmas time. After Christmas it is off towards Arkansas, then further west to finish up the loop that I was too broke to finish up last summer.

Guess Who is Almost Officially Health Insured...

2010-07-12T23:37:00.001-07:00

Me!

Two days in the park on the agenda. Hopefully some sending will be in order.

Good & Not as Good

2010-07-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

On the good side, a cool problem in the park that had thwarted me the last two seasons finally melted out during this last week. I gave it a hand full of tries at the end of the day on Tuesday, and then yesterday I went back up and was able to fire it 3rd go. It was great to top another park problem out, and hopefully that sensation will be relived a few more times before the season is through.

On the not as good side, Thursday, I managed to pitch backwards off the top out of another climb. I say not as good because things could have ended up pretty badly, but I managed to walk away with only a bruised heel, sore bum, stiff neck and a small knot on the back of my brains. I think I'm done doing the solo-boulder in the park for now though. More pads are very necessary now that the snow is nearly all gone!

Back to positives!

Went to a rodeo last night. Sweet.

Ownage

2010-07-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Rock > Me

Did manage to do a cruddy line that busts out right before all of the good climbing on Tommy's Arete. Whoopie!

Two Days of Lower

2010-07-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Gonna be heading up to Lower Chaos tomorrow for a session, and then again on Saturday morning before I go into work at 6.

The projects have started to accumulate, and I'm really hoping for some break-throughs! Just have to stay healthy!

Hopefully there will be some good news here in the next few days!

SoiLL Psych

2010-06-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've been looking at pictures of the climbing from back home a lot lately, and it is really getting my pumped to get back to Jackson and finish off some of the long standing projects that I have there. I'm definitely psyched to hang out some more with that solid crew that was all around in the fall. Good times will be had in the very near future.

Things to finish/start and finish!

Amoeba Brains

Some silly little .11b on Royal Arch Wall

Who Needs Friends?

Feathered Serpent

Voice

Lost Innocence

Don't Mess With the Bull

Cro-Magnon Warrior

Jared's .12c right of Lost Innocence

So many more things that I'd love to finish too if time permits, but this is the list of must do items! Gonna head up to Lower Chaos tomorrow and try and polish off a few projects and maybe find a new one or two before having to head into work in the evening. So much climbing to do and so little time to do it in!

Park Season Has Arrived

2010-06-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally shaped up here in Estes, and things are only going to be getting better for the climbing here during the next few months. Definitely psyched to spend as many days of my season this year up in Chaos Canyon trying to finish off old projects from the years past, and hopefully put to rest a few new, and harder things.

Climbing here during the past few months has been quite exciting to say the least. I've been out on several 'exciting' multi-pitch adventures on Lumpy Ridge, with many bouldering sessions intermingled. I've hit a several of the familiar blocs in the park, and have again been working to put old projects from the years past to rest.

Things should definitely be spicing up here in the near future, so hopefully I'll have some great new photos or stories to share!

Until then, here are some oldies, courtesy of the Most Gracious Brian Martin:

Sweet Lumpy Bouldering Action at "The World's Greatest Boulder." I know of at least 7 other boulders that claim this same feat.

Angry Man. A long term project.

An epic of epics shortly followed this photo on the Lumpy Ridge climb Pear Buttress.

Asia?

2010-03-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

Moving on

2010-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Heading out to Estes today with Brian. Looks like I'm gonna crash his couch for a while. I'm actually gonna try and see if I can't start into work at the Y a little earlier too. Money is getting tight, and if I could it would be great to start having the benefits of the Y, like free food.

Pretty psyched to try and get some projects in the Estes Area too. Definitely want to get back on Angry Man, which might be the hardest "V7" that I've ever tried. Would also like to check out some of the lesser known areas and problems around Lumpy. Psyched beyond belief after all of this rest!

Done

2010-03-04T19:19:00.001-08:00

Well I've sucessfully made it up to Colorado now. Currently I'm in Winter Park hanging out with my little brother. Not skiing. Sucks. Probably will spend just a little more time here and then be off to Estes.

Once I get to Estes, I'm pretty psyched to get out to Lumpy Ridge and try some of the problems out there. I'd also like to maybe jump on some multi-pitch stuff, if the stars are aligned. It would also be really cool to make it down to the Boulder area and do a little bit of climbing around there before work starts.

The time until work starts is drawing near. Things are gonna change!

Zuluflex V6

2010-02-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

Uncut Yogi

2010-02-23T13:56:00.001-08:00

Didn't send but here are a few shots from Max of me on the super classic V6 Uncut Yogi.

Had a pretty good day yesterday. Was able to send 3 V5s in one day. Definitely the best day of climbing I've had down here. I was also able to tick off several super classic easier lines. These are the days of climbing that I live for!

New Pictures: Hueco the Post-Haircut Era

2010-02-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

Looking off to the north from the summit boulders atop North Mountain.

Groupie Alert, the coolest V2 that I've ever done. Even better than Ghetto Simulator.

Sticking the move, catching the swing, and sending Daily Dick Dose. It was 70 that day.

More waiting outside of the gate. The rock is right there just teasing us.

Another one of the must do problems: Mexican Chicken. So hard and pumpy.

The super classic Nobody Here Gets out Alive. Evidently when this problem was first done there was a bed of Prickly Pear Cactus covering all of the ground beneath. Needless to say, falling was not an option.

New Pictures: Hueco the Pre-Haircut Era

2010-02-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the pre-haircut era of Hueco Tanks.

Dilated Pupils: Classic problem and one of the few times

I've actually been able to mantle out a problem down here.

Sorting out the moves on Daily Dick Dose.

Sending the super classic King Kobra. One of my all time favorite boulders.

New Pictures: Arkansas

2010-02-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that I've just been able to snag from Brian Martin from a day we spent at Fountain Red back in Arkansas. Psyched to have B. down here in Hueco with me...even though he dislocated his shoulder...again.

Here is how not to fall on Always Lead the Possum. There was a huge water drip coming from the rock right where my pad should have been, so the plan was to just move the pad when I got to that spot so things wouldn't get soaked...it didn't happen and I landed right on my right butt cheek.

Here is how it is supposed to go on Always Lead the Possum.

A few pictures from a cool pinch problem that I couldn't quite finish.

The end is drawing nigh...

2010-02-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Well the weeks down in Hueco have been flying by and the psych is as high as ever. Things are starting to change around here though; people are leaving, the spring winds are blowing in, and the temps are starting to get a little warmer. I'm craving a little bit cooler temps.

I've also been doing some serious projecting here during the last little bit, and I've been forced to narrow down my list of projects that I listed earlier. I've also decided that I might not be worrying so much about doing things in the backcountry, and just focus on North Mountain for the remainder of this trip.

Things that are getting priority are:

Daily Dick Dose V7

Mexican Chicken V6

Baby Martini V6

If I can leave Hueco ticking these three problems I'll definitely feel that I've had some good successes during the trip.

I'm also looking at leaving out from Hueco around the 27th of February and heading up to Winter Park and hanging with Lane for a week or so. After that I'm gonna move on over to Estes Park for the following week to get settled, and then training for work starts on March the 15th. It is going to be nice to have a little bit of an income again!

Here is a link to a few new photos that Brian has taken since he's been here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianclimbark/sets/72157623433221186/

Ghetto Simulator - V2

Dilated Pupils - V4

The Final Moves of Baby Martini V6. Soooo epically close.

Looking Good

2010-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Well, after 5 consecutive days of rest, 2 crummy days on, and one more day of rest, I think that I'm somewhere back to where I was before I hurt my finger. Definitely not 100% quite yet, but the thing is darn close.

Today was a great day too. Went out with my buddy Max and just cruised around. I was also able to get some new sends today which makes the last three days of torture (since I wasn't sending) all worthwhile.

Definitely re-psyched, and will be even more so tonight. My buddy Brian is going to be making it in a little later this evening with some more friends and there is going to be an amazing crew hanging around!

Ouch...

2010-02-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm on a slight break from climbing right now since a small incident when I was last out on Saturday. They day had been going pretty well with a send of a highball that I'd contemplated doing since I got here, and then with a tick of one of my listed items, 100 Proof Roof.

Feeling pretty good, and psyched about the day we headed over to get on some of the harder things on my must do list, Baby Face and Daily Dick Dose. I flailed on Daily for a bit and then decided that I'd give Baby Face a shot. I made some quick progress and was feeling pretty good about the problem. Then, I pulled on and heard the dreaded crunch from my hand, and had some pretty sharp pains through the palm of my hand. It turns out to be nothing serious, just needs a few days of rest and some slow rehab for a few more days, and then hopefully I'll be back at pulling decent for the rest of the trip.

I still ended up getting on a climb after the injury at the end of the day though, another climb on the list, Ghetto Simulator. Ghetto is a 30-35 ft. V2 that pulls through huge jugs up to a crimpy top-out. I was psyched to flash this beast and not really be pumped. Definitely might be something to head back to for some laps to try and keep my endurance up!

Either way, the injury has provided me with the time to sit on the computer and do some looking for jobs, get better at ping pong, and look for more jobs. We'll have to see what is in the cards!

Here are some copped photos of the problems that I've been working and such.

Ghetto Simulator V2:

100 Proof Roof V3:

Daily Dick Dose V7:

Baby Face V7:

Some New Photos

2010-01-29T10:39:00.000-08:00

My buddy Thomas from B.C. has been snapping away, while we've been climbing away, and here are some more shots that he has put up on his flickr. (Just click on the part that says 'his flickr' to get to the photos)

More Rain

2010-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

Today was another rain day down here in El Paso. Who would have guessed that it would rain this much down here in the desert?!

The weather was pretty awesome here the last few days though, and yesterday was a great day of climbing. In the morning we started out warming up in a new area that I had not been to before, and I flashed a slew of problems in the V0 - V1 range for a good warm-up. After that we ran up the hill to a classic V4 called T-Bone Shuffle that I was lucky enough to get a flash on. My hardest flash while in Hueco. After that I saw quite a few more great problems but none that I was able to get sends on. Hopefully, after today's rest, I'll be ready to head back out and get some more projects out of the way in the next bit.

Here are some of the items on my must do list before I leave:

Martini Hotbox - V9

A Smooth Move - V8

Daily Dick Dose - V7

Baby Face - V7

New Religion - V7

Roughage - V7

Uncut Yogi - V6

Baby Martini - V6

See Spot Run - V6

Jigsaw Puzzle - V5

Wicicala Cave - V5

Bloody Flapper - V4

Moonshine Roof - V4

100 Proof Roof - V3

Ghetto Simulator - V2

Melon Patch - V0

Some of my sends so Far:

Bloodline - V6

Honeycomb Hideaway - V5 (Second Go)

Schadenfraud - V5

Lobster Claw - V5

Unknown - V5

T-Bone Shuffle - V4

Unknown - V4

Sign of the Cross - V3

Not as much as I would like to say that I've been getting done, but you have to start somewhere. I've definitely been able to tell that I'm starting to get a little bit better at climbing on roofs, which was definitely my anti-style before coming out here. Hopefully, I'll get some more things done here soon!

A Few Pictures...

2010-01-23T12:35:00.001-08:00

Wicicala Cave - V5

Sign of the Cross - V3

Photos by Thomas Burden

Rest Day

2010-01-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

It is rainy in El Paso, so that means today we're going to be getting plenty of rest.

It seems like everyone has the same ideas too, as there are like 20+ climbers that have flooded the local coffee shop, Primo's, and we are sucking the bandwidth down to nothing. The rest is much needed and I hopefully the rain will give our skin some time to do some re-growing.

The Hueco part of this trip has been amazing. I still maintain that this is one of the most beautiful places around too. Even with the rain this morning the sunset was unbeatable.

The climbing here has been something to adjust to though. The style here has a lot of crimps and is pretty powerful. Two things that are definitely not in my strengths category. After four days of consistent pulling though, I think that my body and fingers are starting to make the adjustment. Luckily I still have some time to get fully acquainted and hopefully I'll get some good sends along the way.

So far, I've only managed a V6, V5, and a few other miscellaneous climbs. However, the quality of climbs here is just mind blowing. The V6 I finished, Bloodline, was a line that just recently went up, and is undoubtedly the most amazing climb I've ever been on. I also sent a couple classics yesterday Lobster Claw V5, and Sign of the Cross V3; both are climbs on the must do list for The Tanks.

I'm hoping to find some good projects here along the way too, and am confident that I can pull out some sends that are going to be pushing my personal limits. Nothing like getting stronger. Here are a few pictures that I've managed to steal and snag from the camera on my computer!

My dirty moustache:

Gone!:

Rainy North Mountain. The view from my car window, and where the sun rises every morning.

Bloodline V6. The most beautiful line that I've ever climbed. I stole this from another climber's site.

Photo: Joe Kinder

Hueco

2010-01-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well today was my 4th day of being in Hueco Tanks, and I'll have to admit it, I am absolutely getting my ass kicked on everything I touch. It is quite disheartening. My skin in unusually bad too, and has never seemed to recoup fully from the beating that it took down in Rocktown.

Either way, Hueco is a beautiful place. One of the most beautiful that I've ever been to. Every sunset and sunrise is better than the last, and it is hard not to be psyched with all of the strong men and women hanging around down here.

I'm pretty tired though and think that I'm just gonna close this one off short though. Hope everything and everyone is doing well!

Adios Arkansas

2010-01-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Well today looks to be the last at the Hartlerode house hold for me. I really enjoy being here; there is great discussion, food, and a feeling of home that makes me hesitant to leave.

The climbing has been a lot of fun too, and my skin is destroyed. The last three days have been spent at Horseshoe, Fountain Red, and Area 74. All amazing sandstone crags, that will make your tips bleed from the ultra-high friction slopers.

It looks like we'll spend tomorrow doing a little more pulling at HCR before heading further south back to Conway, AR where Wayne goes to school. On Thursday it looks like I'll then move west to Austin, TX to hang with a few friends from the Y, and then on to the final destination of Hueco Tanks.

I'm beyond psyched and can't wait for the interesting change of scenery. Hopefully the camera will be up and charged by the time I get there. I need to get on the ball.

Moving on up...errr...west

2010-01-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

The past week and a half has been a whirlwind, and I've nearly been out on the road for two weeks now. Most of my time has been spent at Rocktown outside of LaFayette, Georgia, but the weather has caused me and my car to move locations.

Yesterday, with Wayne, I headed out from Rocktown hoping to escape the snow storm that was sweeping across the south. Great plan in theory, but it just landed us on top of another mountain north of Chattanooga bouldering at a crag known as Little Rock City. It was a good day, but cold to say the least, and snow was plentiful. After a few hours at the crag, and some nagging on my behalf, we finally bailed; and just in the nick of time since they closed that solid sheet of ice/road off 20 minutes later, and would have stranded us on the top of the mountain.

We ended up fleeing all the way to Nashville that/last night and hung out with Kevin Bogard and his family for the night. Early this morning we then rolled on out towards the Arkansas area, and I now find myself in a strangers apartment with a full belly and at a state of near exhaustion. It is good to be here though, and we have plans to climb on through Tuesday or Wednesday after which it will be off to the beautiful establishment of Hueco Tanks. I can't say enough about how psyched I am.

Still no pictures or video. I need to do a better job.

Georgia. Brrrrrrr...

2010-01-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

Today was cold. 28 degrees to be exact. Haven't experienced such mind-numbing coldness in a long long time.

I've been out in Georgia now for nearly a week climbing here at a great sandstone bouldering crag. The times have been great and I've met some great people and enjoyed the climbing a lot too.

Today I made it in to the nice little town of La Fayette for the first time and it is a really nice, quaint town. Reminds me a lot of home. Made it a point to get a shower and I feel like a new man. I also picked up some gloves which makes my hands all happy.

No pictures or videos to share at the moment: being in Krystal's parking lot bumming internet doesn't help the matter either. Either way, the trip is going well and I've found some great projects for the remainder of this weekend and the rest of the next! Can't wait for Hueco in a few weeks!

Preparations

2009-12-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over, and the time is drawing near for the road trip to begin. The route has severely shrank, but the psyche is still there and I'm hoping to get things officially kicked off on Monday!

While at my Grandparents' house for Christmas I was able to make some small changes to the Jeep so it will be more compatible with the road trip lifestyle. Papaw and I managed to snag the seat bottom out and then add in a small sheet of plywood over the top to allow for a little more headroom and also to create an awesome little storage nook for all of my food. Today, I started packing things into some small tupperware containers and getting the last of my laundry done up so that things will be ready to go a.s.a.p.

If I do get to leave on Monday I'm going to be heading down south to Georgia for the first leg of the trip. The destination: Rocktown; an epic bouldering crag outside of the small town of La Fayette. Right now, I have the intent to hang there for around 2 weeks and then it will be off to Arkansas to pull on some more stellar sandstone slopers! I can't wait to get things rolling!

A week in SoiLL

2009-12-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Well the last week has been spent in the company of some great old friends, and also with a few amazing new ones. We've explored some great new areas in SoiLL and have been fortunate enough to get some sends along the way. It was great to climb so long with Wayne too, he's definitely kept steadily improving and he did very well for himself in this new sandstone environment. Here are a few pictures from Wayne's camera from the week...

Sending Buzz Arete V4 at Giant City State Park

Wayne flashing the Center Line V3 at Giant City State Park

Wayne nailing the crux of R.I.P V6 at The Graveyard

Sticking the crux move on Bug Eyes V5 at The Graveyard

Sporting the awesome scarf that Mom made me.

Phillip cruising Shorty the Pimp 5.13a at Jackson Falls.

Wayne working into the crux of Shadow of a Man V5 at the Holy Boulders.

Inspired.

Topping out Enlightenment V5 at the Holy Boulders.

Beautiful sandstone slopers at the Holy Boulders.

My ticklist for the time here looks something like this...

Pinch Me

Big Dyno Problem

Enlightenment

No Name Problem

Bug Eyes

Buzz Arete

Wedlock

Arete Problem

Broken

Gill Roof - Flash

No Name Problem

Punch Drunk

The Center Line

Big Pinch

Skeleton - Flash

Formaldehyde - Flash

Hornball

Mollusk - Flash

Face Problem - Flash

No Name Problem

Cracked Skull - Flash

The Tomb - Flash

Devil's Arete - Flash

Eye Sockets - Flash

Next Week

2009-12-12T05:15:00.001-08:00

Well Graduation is today, and tonight will be some festive events. But, starting Sunday night I'm gonna be chilling in Carbondale for a week at Kevin Martin's house and climbing all over SoiLL. I'm psyched and Drew and Wayne are gonna be cruising in too, with the possibility of Brian Martin being there as well. I'm gonna be getting left behind by everyone. Crap! At least I have a tan.

San Ignacio Weekend.

2009-11-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Things I did today:

-Went ziplining in the rainforest. Pretty cool.
-Went cave tubing. Awe inspiring.
-Ate termites. They taste like mint.
-Held a wild tarantula.
-Saw a small species of Toucan.d

Tomorrow we are heading a little further south to some great looking Mayan ruins called Xunantunich (Shoe-nan-to-nitch). After the ruins we will head back towards Corozal and stop at the Belize Zoo. We are all definitely excited, and the zoo is an amazing facility where we will see many interesting species of animals!

Thursday was Thanksgiving. It was an interesting experience being away from everyone for the first time too. While everyone was at Grandma and Papaw's house eating, I was at school working, and for my lunch I ate empanadas instead of turkey and dressing. The empanadas were great! Thursday night Marga's mom cooked us some food for a small T-giving surprise and it was really good too. Unfortunately, it made 3 out of the 4 of us super sick for some reason yesterday. So on one of our great days off we laid around the apartment paralyzed with stomach pain. Bummer.

Next week with school I'm teaching science and language arts to the kids. It will be an interesting and quick four days I'm sure. Friday morning, early, we head out on a boat then to San Pedro for our last weekend trip. When we return late Sunday night we'll only have three more days of teaching and then we're back home! I can't believe things are flying by so quickly! It'll be road trip time before long!

Small update

2009-11-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Things are doing well down here. I had it sprung on me to teach a Kindergarten class today, it was quite exciting, interesting, and it went well to boot. I'm pretty surprised since I didn't have anything planned for the class, but managed to make it all work out somehow.

Again, everything is going pretty well. I'm certainly enjoying myself and I've been able to see a whole lot of exciting sites. On Saturday of last week we all traveled to some great Mayan ruins called Lamanai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamanai). It was great and the sites were beautiful.

On the Thursday before I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Mexico with the group as well. We did some touristy stuff, saw a movie, visited the local markets, and swam in an amazing lagoon called Bacalar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalar). I've never seen fresh water that was so clear!

We teach until Thursday this week and then have Friday-Sunday off. Saturday morning we are heading down south to a town called San Ignacio where we will do the cave tubing, zip lining, and visit another set of Mayan ruins called Xunantunich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xunantunich). I'm pretty excited, and we will get to spend the night down there as well at some hotel. After that we only have the last weekend trip over the San Pedro!

Belize 1

2009-11-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Last Weekend

2009-11-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well this past weekend at Jackson was the last... for a while at least. I shamefully spent it thrutching my way up up Cro-Magnon Warrior .12b, which has to be one of the coolest routes that I've been on. My 4th go I found myself through the first crux, and pumped as all get out. I made it to a decent stance and managed to shake for a minute or so, pulled the last crux move but just couldn't get my hand to close all the way around the hold. Bummer.

Anyways, I couldn't have imagined a more amazing final weekend. There were tons of awesome people around The Falls and I was able to spend that last night with some of the closest and greatest friends a dirty climber could ever ask for. Thankfully, I'll only be gone for a month though and will be able to pick right back up where I left off.

On that note, I do leave for Belize this coming Saturday. I am very excited and can't wait to get into the school there and meet all of the great teachers, kids, and experience a new culture! I'll try and keep this blog updated while I'm down there as best as possible, but the internet is less than desirable as I understand it. We'll see what we can work out!

Jacob on Lost Innocence, 5.12c

2009-11-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Lost Innocence, 5.12c from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

No sends.

2009-11-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend was filled with tons of effort but no sends...

Next Saturday is the last day at Jackson for nearly a month! Better go out with good style!

!!!!

2009-10-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

Found my video camera! I'll try and get some footage of Lost Innocence this weekend...if I remember.

Progress

2009-10-26T19:38:00.002-07:00

This last weekend was one of the most beautiful fall weekends I've seen at Jackson. Perfect temps, no humidity, and tons of awesome people made for a great time!

On Saturday I hopped on one of the most amazing routes that is probably at The Falls, Lost Innocence .12c. It is sustained, bouldery, and very aesthetic. I managed to two hang it twice, so hopefully with some workouts this week I'll get back next weekend and be able to finish the thing off.

Sunday, I went down to The Ranch area with Drew, who was in for the weekend. He had a few goes on Space Cowboy and I moved a little further south and got on Darwin's Theory, a super cool .12a. I managed a 4th go send and was very pleased with how fun the route was!

Big time congrats this weekend though for Kevin Martin! He sent his first .12a on Saturday and then turned around and did Darwin's Theory second go! Crushing!

So psyched for my last two weekends at Jackson before Belize! Gonna get worked and then enjoy the sun and the rest!

A Few Pictures...

2009-10-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

A few pictures that a new friend Phillip took the last day I was a Jackson climbing! Coincidentally, both of these routes are ones that were bolted by Phillip.

On the crux of Goin' Rogue, 5.12c: Pocket with the left hand, bad slopey crimp with the right, and crummy feet, then a toss up to a small flat edge.

Who Let the Snakes Out? 5.10b/c:

Last week's sends

2009-10-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the tick list from my amazing last week at Jackson!

Goin' Rogue - 5.12c

Space Cowboy - 5.12b

Velvet Green - 5.12a - 2nd Go

Shock Therapy - 5.12a - 2nd Go

Umbrella Girl - 5.12a - 2nd Go

Cowboy's and Cross-dressers - 5.12a

Stand & Deliver - 5.11b - Flash

Yuppie with a Gun - 5.11a - Onsight

Wild at Heart - 5.11a - Onsight

Who Let the Snakes Out? - 5.10c - Onsight - 2nd Ascent

The Walrus - 5.10b - Onsight

Possum Grits - 5.9+

I'm extremely satisfied with the week, and I hope that I'm able to carry over this trend the next few weekends. Only 3 left until I leave for Belize!

Deep Throat - 5.10b - Flash

Mid-Week...

2009-10-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been sending....

.12b

- Cro-Magnon Warrior - J-Falls
- Tasmanian Devil - J-Falls
- Space Cowboy - J-Falls - 2nd Go on Saturday!
- Remove La Ropa - J-Falls/Promised Land - Upgraded and off the list.
- Balance of Power - J-Falls/Promised Land - Upgraded and off the list.

.12a
- Hidden Treasure - J-Falls
- Everybody Needs Friends - J-Falls
- Detox Mountain - J-Falls
- Energizer - J-Falls
- Cranial Implosion - J-Falls
- Cowboys and Crossdressers - J-Falls - 3rd Go on Saturday
- Team Honda - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Industry - J-Falls***
- Umbrella Girl - J-Falls - 2nd Go!

.11d
- The Vow - J-Falls
- The Reckoning - J-Falls

.11c
- Access Denied - J-Falls
- The Twist - J-Falls
- Blue Velvet - J-Falls

.11b
- Splinter Faction - J-Falls
- Stand and Deliver - J-Falls - Onsight
- Fancy Feet - J-Falls

.11a
- Captain Crunch - J-Falls
- Yuppie with a Gun - J-Falls - Onsight
- Horseshoes and Handgrenades - HCR
- Flingin' Hog - J-Falls

.10d
- Fragile Egos/Into the Sun - J-Falls - Failed at Onsight
- King's Jester - J-Falls - Onsight
- Wild at Heart - J-Falls - Onsight

.10c
- Group Therapy - J-Falls
- The Minstrel - J-Falls

.10b
- Psychotherapy - J-Falls

Past Weeekend...

2009-10-05T04:31:00.000-07:00

Went to Jackson again this weekend, and I can gladly say that the climbing season has officially arrived! Temps in the upper 60's and low 70's all weekend made the rock nice and sticky and it was great to meet a ton of new psyched strong climbers.

On Saturday I hopped on one of my long term goals, Space Cowboy 5.12b. All I can say is that .12b is considerably harder than .12a. It still blows my mind thinking about the difference. I started out rapping in and hanging the quickdraws. First go, I managed a mediocre 8 falls/takes, but fired the crux sequence first try. Second go, I knocked it down to 5 takes/falls. Third go, I was happy to get it down to 3, one of which could have been avoided if I stuck a longer quickdraw on. So I'm sitting at two takes basically. I think I could definitely one hang the thing, and then a send would only be a short matter of time after that. Maybe in a month...

Sunday, I got out early, warmed up, and ran right over to Cro-Magnon Warrior, a .12b also. Setting the draws I think I eeked out just 8 takes/falls, and got nearly no beta for the whole climb. What makes the beta so hard is that Cro-Magnon climbs a vertical water drainage seam and has some super burly power/layback moves that will stretch the biceps to their limit. At the same time you're just pasting your feet onto nothing to keep the pressure on your hands, and yourself from falling. I was feeling it quite strongly after the first go, but sucked it up and went again and sloppily fell and hung 4 times.

I'll take the small amount of progress though, and I'm super psyched for these two routes. Fall break here at the school starts next Saturday and I'm going to have an entire week off! Tons of time to get some projects sent hopefully!

Progress

2009-09-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Starred routes are things that I've managed to get sends on since the start of the year! I'm gonna be heading out to Jackson this coming weekend with the intent of ticking Space Cowboy .12b. I saw a guy on it this weekend and it really looks pretty doable! With all of the training we've be doing lately I can't wait to give it some burns! Hopefully, I'll have so good news and good footage to share on Monday!

7 days left with 1st grade!

Routes:

.12b

- Cro-Magnon Warrior - J-Falls
- Tasmanian Devil - J-Falls
- Space Cowboy - J-Falls
- Remove La Ropa - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Balance of Power - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Nagual - King's Bluff

.12a
- Hidden Treasure - J-Falls ***
- Everybody Needs Friends - J-Falls***
- Lavender Eye - HCR
- Detox Mountain - J-Falls***
- Tacit - The Red River Gorge
- Energizer - J-Falls
- Cranial Implosion - J-Falls
- Cowboys and Crossdressers - J-Falls
- Team Honda - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Industry - J-Falls***
- Prelude to Harvest - King's Bluff

.11d
- The Vow - J-Falls
- The Reckoning - J-Falls

.11c
- Access Denied - J-Falls
- The Twist - J-Falls
- Blue Velvet - J-Falls

.11b
- Splinter Faction - J-Falls
- Stand and Deliver - J-Falls
- Fancy Feet - J-Falls

.11a
- Captain Crunch - J-Falls
- Yuppie with a Gun - J-Falls
- Horseshoes and Handgrenades - HCR
- Flingin' Hog - J-Falls***

.10d
- Fragile Egos/Into the Sun - J-Falls
- King's Jester - J-Falls
- Wild at Heart - J-Falls

.10c
- Group Therapy - J-Falls***
- The Minstrel - J-Falls

.10b
- Psychotherapy - J-Falls

Boulders:

V8
- Numerical Methods - HCR
- Orbital Mechanics - HCR
- Project V8 by Miho - HCR
- Zig-Zag - J-Falls

V7
- Cloud of Stars - HCR
- Black Snapper - Fontaine Red
- Leather Face - HCR
- David & Goliath - J-Falls
- Space Invaders - J-Falls

V6
- Always Lead the Possum - Fontaine Red
- Newton's Law - Fontaine Red
- Pinball - J-Falls
- OBD Direct - J-Falls

V5
- Gak Traverse - Fontaine Red
- Bag Piper - J-Falls
- THC (sit) - J-Falls

V4
- Chainsaw - HCR
- Trouser Chili - HCR
- OBD Left - J-Falls

V3
- Cold Fusion J-Falls***
- THC - J-Falls***

Student Teaching...

2009-09-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

Today, while creating some artwork about what they wants to be when they grow up, a student writes the following sentence.

I interpret the picture as the student saying he wants to make college students grow up...Awesome!

Detox Mountain

2009-08-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

Another goal achieved!

Went to Jackson Saturday and Sunday with the intent to work a few other things but this line is just too awesome! Gave it a few goes Saturday but nothing was happening. I'm blaming the red wine...

Sunday came out cruised it nearly through the crux and then blew all my energy trying to clip a bolt (why I will probably always be a boulderer). Second go was awesome and everything just flowed. A few minutes later I found myself at the chains!

Here is a video we shot of a burn on Saturday. I ended up just editing it all together just for a vague idea of how the route works. Tons of shaking out on jugs and unexciting climbing! Be prepared for a 5 minute boredom fest!

Detox Mountain 5.12a from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

Everybody Needs Friends

2009-08-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

I was able to get up to Jackson Falls this past weekend with K-Bro and had a pretty good time. Saturday, I contemplated on hitting up Energizer but just couldn't get into it since there had been so much moisture the week before. It was a good thing. Instead we ran over to the Beaver Wall and I thought that I might give an old project Everybody Needs Friends 5.12a a little bit of work.

I hung the draws quickly and on the second go had already managed to pull a one hang on it. 7 goes later though I just couldn't pull out the send. Here is a little video of attempt number 5 that Matt Guemple, a climber who has been around the falls since I was born, took on his very nice HD camera! Thanks Matt!

Sunday, we warmed up quickly and then ran right over to Everybody Needs Friends again and I was able to finally pull out the send on the second go. It was a pretty awesome feeling! So nice to get back into the route game and be sending some 12's the second weekend back on!

Next weekend I'm hoping to make some progress on Detox Mountain .12a and hopefully take care of business on Cranial Implosion .12a!

Energizer

2009-08-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

It looks like I might have suckered some people into heading to Jackson with me tomorrow and Sunday for a little bit of climbing! The weather is just going to be so awesome! Hopefully the humidity will stay low too and I'll be able to draw a small amount of endurance from that last weeks climbing AND be able to make some good links on Energizer. Maybe a send? I'll have the camera in tow!

A few more from Energizer last weekend...

Hot Hot Heat...

2009-08-17T16:40:00.001-07:00

Spent Friday afternoon through Sunday at Jackson Falls doing a little bit of climbing, but...it was HOT!

Friday I hiked into a new bouldering area called The Roost which was less than impressive. There were two problems that I really wanted to scope out The Oriel and Screaming Eagle, both of which were too ridiculous to attempt in the heat. And I'm not strong enough to finish either one of them as things stand right now. The rest of the place was kind of junked up and none of the problems were particularly attention grabbing. Later that night Mike, Calvin, and Jordan all rolled in and we got in a bouldering session at Reefer Madness which was nice in spite of the ridiculous heat.

Saturday was another beastly hot day but I had my mind set on getting on some harder stuff regardless of the temps so I worked to make it happen. We all warmed up quickly on Earthbound Misfit 5.10a and then I quickly busted over to Energizer 5.12a. It is siiick! It is 5 bolts of pumpy overhung arete climbing. It was definitely one of the coolest climbs that I think I've been on so far at Jackson. Here are some photos.

The crux, which moves off of a jug into a slopey crimp into a hand foot match, then a bad pinch with the left and a bump into a left hand gaston. With the gaston then you fall right hand into a good pinch and clip and move on into the last pumpy and short sequence to the anchors!

Sunday was spent running laps on Group Therapy 5.10c in hopes for a little bit of endurance! I want to send some harder stuff! I'm psyched for the fall and can't wait to get out and do some more awesome climbing!

Jackson This Weekend

2009-08-13T09:22:00.001-07:00

Heading to J-Falls this weekend with Mike, Kevin, and possibly Calvin. A good strong crew. I'm really psyched to get on rope, and I have a lot of hard projects in mind that I'd love to try and tick. I think that I'm going to be doing some bouldering on Friday night too so here are some goals for inspection/sendage!

Boulders
-OBD V6
-Screaming Eagle V6
-The Oriel V5

Routes
-Energizer 5.12a
-Everybody Needs Friends 5.12a
-Cranial Implosion 5.12a
-Here Come the Snakes 5.12c
-Psychotherapy 5.10b
-Yuppie With a Gun 5.11a

I know that is a little ambitious for one weekend, especially since I've yet to send on .12 in a day, but I just really want to suss out some beta on the harder stuff, and keep pressing my limits. I've already been on Everybody Needs Friends and Cranial, so I know the beta and there is a decent potential if I can catch the good conditions sometime during the weekend. It is only supposed to be 92 all weekend...

Chaos Canyon and The Beach - Video

2009-08-12T19:38:00.001-07:00

Here is some footage that I put together of a few sends from last weekend and one from the park!

Chaos Canyon/The Beach from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

Long Over Due

2009-07-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty delinquent with the blogs here of late, I guess that it is mainly because a whole helluva lot just hasn't really been happening. I've spent some more days in Chaos Canyon, sent a few new problems, but spent a lot of time just getting frustrated with my climbing while I watch everyone else crush grades like V9.

I have managed to nab a V7 and V6 send here just recently and am finally feeling like I'm getting back to where I was at during the winter. I also bought a hangboard for some finger training in the fall since I'm really not too sure what things are going to be looking like with getting outside to climb and student teaching. I still haven't tied in outside yet this summer, so I'm gonna probably get pretty psyched out on rope a lot as soon as I get back, AND have absolutely no endurance. Mike will probably own me.

Here are a few pictures of the V7 that I sent up at Chaos Canyon.

Suzuki Boulder

2009-06-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Went to Suzuki today with Mom and Lane and I was able to re-repeat everything within an hour. Pretty psyched. I was also able to make a little bit of progress on the super difficult V5 that is on that boulder. Maybe that will go before the end of the summer! I'll try and get some pics of the session up.

Inspiration...

2009-06-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

This 86 year old man just climbed this 450m 5.8, running it out sometimes 10-15 meters. This last year he was even able to redpoint 5.10c. I'm just blown away.

Pictures from Sky Pond

2009-06-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

The snow field:

The "Waterfall" that we hiked through:

Sky Pond from our Grassy Knoll:

Another gorgeous view:

The view back down the valley towards Estes:

I didn't send anything at Chaos yesterday.

Two Days Off

2009-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting a few days in a row off. It seems like work has just been going on forever.

Yesterday was my first day off and since there was no one off for me to get out and go climbing with I opted to get out for a hike. After not deciding where I was going to go until breakfast, I was ready for a late start with a new friend, who had also no plans for the day and decided to come along. The destination was a beautiful alpine lake named Sky Pond.

The hike was amazing and was actually a moderately advanced one with some snow crossing and actually having to climb through a waterfall on some easy 4th class scrambling. I had really forgotten how much I enjoy a good hike. After the 4 miles in we were rewarded with one of the most spectacular views in the park, and a grassy knoll right next to the lake where we spent the next three hours napping and reading the day away. It doesn't get more relaxing.

After the rest, we headed back down through the waterfall, across the snowfield and to the car. We then headed to town and ate some delicious Nepalese food at a restaurant in town. What a day!

Today, I'm heading up to Chaos Canyon with Emiliyan to do some bouldering. I'm pretty pumped and after about three days off I'm hoping to finish off a few problems, and maybe even get my first V7 send in Colorado!

Chaos Again...

2009-06-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, of late I've been kind of fighting off this little head cold. Nothing serious just some extra drainage and a little sore throat. It wasn't enough to keep me away from Chaos on Wednesday though.

I had the intent to try and find some new stuff to work on since I was going up with a new crew of people, but since they hadn't been before we hit the same old stuff. I got pretty frustrated too, I couldn't repeat Revenge, V6. However, everyone else had a killer day with a couple of V7 sends being done. A buddy from Bulgaria, Emiliyan, crushed Tommy's Arete in two goes. He's pretty strong.

I have two days off in a row next week so if I can find someone to go with me I might try and take a little adventure somewhere. Tons of options. I'd really like to get out and see a few things that I haven't been able to see in a while. Maybe central Colorado and a few new 14'ers?

Choas

2009-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I finally had a day off, in what seemed like an eternity since my last. Thankfully, I was able to capitalize on this opportunity with a days trip up into the park to Chaos Canyon with a strong crew of people.

We started off and spent most of the day hanging out in an area known as Lower Chaos, mainly because it would be the most likely place to get any climbing in because of the large amount of snow that is still on the ground at that elevation.

We made good time and were at Lower Chaos by 11:30 a.m. We did a few little warm-up things on the top of a problem and then I proceeded to send a classic V5, Autobot, second go! I was pretty pumped about that, and then we did a little bit more stuff to try and get a little better warmed up for the main goal for the day Revenge, V6 which I was consequently able to knock out in a quick 5 goes! I couldn't have been happier!

We then worked on a couple more V7's through the day, Mikala and Tommy's Arete. Both of which I'm pretty excited to finish up and hopefully sends will come soon. Weather permitting I'm heading back up there on Wednesday with Emillyan, my bud from Bulgaria!

Chaos

2009-06-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Going to Chaos Canyon today with a good crew of people and hopefully I'll be able to finish off a problem that thwarted me last summer, Revenge V6. Fingers crossed. Also going to be doing some work on one of the problems I'm psyched to project, Tommy's Arete V7. I'm taking the camera and hopefully I'll get some videos and there will be lengthy update to come soon!

The Happenings

2009-06-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Been busy with work the last few days and I just completed a Wilderness First Aid class yesterday, which was a great refresher for the WFR class that I took Spring Break '07.

I've made it out a few times since the last post too. One day I went up to the Suzuki Boulder in the park with a new kid named Evan, so that I could try and finish off the dang V3 that had been rejecting me for the last year. I gave it quite a bit of time and eventually got frustrated and moved on. Resent the difficult V4 on the Satellite Boulder, again, and then coincidentally ran into a friend of a friend named Nick, whom I was introduced to last summer by my buddy Drew. He wanted to see the V3 so I decided one go real quick wouldn't hurt and I sent! I was pretty pumped! Now I need to send the V5 and there are two more V3s that I haven't worked and the Suzuki Boulder will simply be a workout spot for me!

Today, Wayne and Lindsay from last summer are rolling into Boulder and will be hanging out around Estes for the next week! I'm pretty psyched to run up to Chaos Canyon with them one day if I can bust out of work a little bit early! This after noon I'm going to be driving a little bit south to check out the 'Wild Basin Boulder' which has quite a few classics on it and hopefully I'll rack up a few points! A new friend Emillienth (sp?), who I met at the gym, and is from Bulgaria, will be accompanying me for the trip. Kid is strong!

Hope all is well, and my grandma's flowers are looking awesome!

I'm so lazy.

2009-06-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Things have finally started to pick up around here with work, and so here I'm sitting in bed at the butt crack of dawn trying to type something up, since I haven't in such a long time.

Not too much has honestly happened on the climbing front either since the last update. Sunday, I went down to Boulder with Tim and Joey to get gas and then make a trip over to the Flat Irons for a little bit of climbing. Things were pretty cool and I managed to send through the grades V1-V4. THEN after that, we went back up to Estes and decided to go climb in the gym for some odd reason since were weren't obviously worked enough already; it was probably the best day of climbing I've had since in Colorado though, I was worked.

I'm taking a few days off now though to rest up the shoulders and then hopefully it will be off to somewhere cool this weekend. I'm really liking the idea of going and getting my butt kicked on some sport climbs at Clear Creek Canyon. That trip would confirm just how bad of shape that I really am in!

I haven't been taking any video of late unfortunately, but I'll try to when things start heating up with some good hard sends! Hope all is well with everyone!

Training

2009-05-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today, unfortunately, I'm going to have to pile into a car and head over to the wasteland that is Snow Mountain Ranch for another week of work training. I'm honestly not too psyched at all. The weather here has been pretty dismal the last few days, but with that said the temps have been great and the bouldering really couldn't be too much better.

Here in a few I'm going to be heading over to Lumpy Ridge with a few people for a morning session, and I'll hopefully get some good work in on Angry Man V7. Also, I really want to finish off another problem that has been a thorn in my side on the Jaws Boulder today too.

A good thing about being at SMR though is that I'm going to have plenty of time to chill and relax. I went to the library in Estes Park yesterday and checked out some interesting reads that I'll ideally finish up a few of during the week. I already busted through half of "This Side of Paradise" yesterday, an old F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

Hopefully at SMR I'll be able to get ahold of some of my friend Brian's photos from the summer. He takes some great snaps and if I can I'll do my best to post some up on the blog! Happy Memorial Day to all!

Updates...

2009-05-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Finding time to update hasn't been nearly as easy as I had expected it to be. Work has been super busy the last week, and then when we aren't working there are tons of things to climb, new people to meet, and lots of food to be eaten. The crew out this summer is pretty similar to the group of people last summer but with the addition of a few newer people, naturally.

On the climbing front I've already made a few trips up into Rocky Mountain National Park, climbed on grounds quite a bit, and hit up Lumpy Ridge for a big session. Sends have been coming and going and I've been able to find a good amount of projects to work on so I can get back into shape and be ready for everything up in Chaos Canyon starting probably in around 2-3 weeks. Nothing really too noteworthy other than that has been going on. No big sends, but when I start getting close I'll get some videos rolling! Here are a few pictures that people have snapped throughout the last week.

Repeating the V4 on the Suzuki Boulder.

Watching Chris do some work on a V3.

Trying to get the send, but failing.

Everyone doing some bouldering on grounds.

Bouldering at Lumpy. What a view?!

Trying the mantle on grounds.

In one piece...

2009-05-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

We're here and we made it safely and soundly. Yesterday, we arrived in Estes proper at around 4:00 and to the Y at around 4:30. We were able to get all settled, catch up with old friends, eat some dinner, and then make it out to the Marble Boulder for a quick session at around 7:00. It was pretty nice, and I was able to repeat most of the things that we put up there last summer which is nice to do, that way I don't feel like I've totally started sucking.

Today, my friend from the summer of '07 Jamie, and her boyfriend Matt will be making it in from Texas and we're gonna head over to Lumpy Ridge for an easy day of bouldering. Everybody is kind of beat up right now. We'll have to mind those injuries and take it easy for a while. There is a cool V7 at Lumpy that I'm wanting to get on today though. Hopefully with a few sessions it will go down. Pictures and videos will be taken!

Half Way There

2009-05-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Made it to Lawrence, KS today. The half way point of our drive out to Estes. Crashing at my friend Lyndsey's house tonight; I worked with her two summers ago. Nice setup and we hope to be out of here in the morning by 8:00 a.m. This will put us into Estes around 4:00 Mountain Time. I'd love to dump my stuff and run to Lumpy for a session on Angry Man V7 too. Hopefully things will go as planned! Here is a list of just a few project goals for the summer. They are QUITE lofty!

Autobot V5 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Revenge V6 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Potato Chip V7 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Left Angry Man V7 - Lumpy Ridge
Tommy's Arete V7 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Terrorism Arete V7 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Skipper D V8 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Gang Bang Arete V8 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Podophile V9 - Lumpy Ridge
Right El Jorge V9 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Deep Puddle Dynamics V9 - Chaos Canyon, RMNP
Whispers of Wisdom V10 - Emerald Lake, RMNP
Kind Traverse V10 - Emerald Lake, RMNP

The overall goal is V9 for the summer. I'm just throwing in some really hard stuff to make sure that I keep attempting hard things and don't become complacent with climbing at a certain ability level. Which goals will be met realistically? We'll just have to wait and see come August. I have my video camera charged and ready though, and hopefully there will be some post worthy shots and sends to show for the summer! Keep an eye out for updates!

P.S. - I just watched the first 5 episodes of a NBC show called Kings on line. Everyone needs to watch this show. Intense and very interesting with loads of historical and biblical references! Starts back up in June so keep your eyes peeled!

...

2009-05-10T21:05:00.001-07:00

Live Long and Prosper...

The Future...

2009-05-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

Well, I finished another semester of school successfully again today. All that remains is student teaching! Kind of a wild situation and I'm honestly a little hesitant to have it all over with. I'm gonna have debt and responsibility staring me in the eyes here at the end of the year.

On Friday though, I'm gonna be flying down to Jacksonville, FL to pick up a new (used) car from my buddy Scott whom I worked with three and four summers ago. I'll be hanging out there throughout the weekend and then It'll be back to Nashville for a rest day. Then I'm gonna visit the family, get things lined out and be in Estes Park on the 17th. This is gonna be a whirlwind!

I just got some projects in mind today for the summer. I'm really hoping to send some hard things! One goal is to red point a .12+ and to send a V9 boulder problem. I think that both are pretty attainable goals and hopefully I can stay healthy. I'm still trying to nurse this damn finger back to 100%. Soon enough though!

Be looking out for some consistent updates again mid-month!

Climbing Comings Along

2009-04-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, unreported things have happened. Friday of last week I went to Jackson Falls with Taylor and his sister Meredith. It was fun and we ended up going swimming in the pool created by the main falls. The water was COLD! It was pretty nice though and a good way to spend the day since I was especially hung over.

Saturday, I went down to Clarksville and met up with Chris and Carmen. They were unfortunately extremely hung over that day and we got some drizzel so not a helluva lot happened then. I was finally able to get Ritz Bitz .10c ticked though. Good fun and it is definitely one of the best down there. I also threw a TR down on Prelude to Harvest .12a and proceeded to get my buttocks kicked on it. It has some super hard undercling moves and that is definitely an area that I need to get some work done on. We pretty much went home after that.

Things have been busy in Murray this week though with it being Earth Week. Today we had the distinguished Jerome Ringo come and speak today for Earth Day. Aweome! Saturday I'm taking both of the Praxxis exams so it is gonna be a helluva day. Not looking forward to it.

On a side note though I'm gonna be flying to Jacksonville, FL on May 8th to pick up a new vehicle. My buddy Scott from my first two summers at Sanborn decided to give me a steal of a price on his old Jeep so I'm gonna fly down, hang out, and drive pretty much directly to Colorado. The suck. At least I will have A/C and cruise control.

Been hitting the training on the fingers pretty hard the last few days. I'm wanting to really get some contact strength up so I can crush those thin granite edges in the park!

Jackson Falls 4.15.2009

2009-04-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ended up getting to make the mid-week trip out to Jackson again today. Man, it was really nice too. It was Sean, Taylor, and I.

We started out warming up on some of the nice moderates at Reefer Madness and then moved on over to Lovely Tower. There I went ahead and successfully sent Hidden Treasure 5.12a again. It felt sooo good. Taylor and Sean both gave it some time on TR. Then we moved over to some other bouldering and I worked on OBD V6 for a bit. I figured out a good deal of the moves, but linking them all together is going to be quite difficult. After that we went and hit Group Therapy for a quick lap. It felt good too. I was able to take my time, get some good rests and finish strong. It was nice to be able to tick that at the end of such a hard day. I'm finally getting some endurance!

Looks like we'll be heading back out early on Friday and will probably camp and try to get some climbing in before the storms hit on Saturday!

Jackson Falls 4.11.2009

2009-04-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the day was pretty uneventful honestly. We warmed up quickly on The Sophomore which was soaking wet. Then we went down and got on Flingin' Hog 5.11a. I got tunnel vision and blew the flash at the anchors. Phenomenal. However, it is nice to see that I am developing a bit of endurance. Now if I can just keep myself calm enough to not freak out and make careless mistakes. The head games is sooo important. The weather is looking decent for Wednesday so we might have a repeat mid-week trip out. Here are some goals for Wednesday and the week to come!

- Endurance: A Lap on Group, and go back and finish Flingin' Hog.
- Finish the little V2 problem by Arete Syndrome.
- Bagpiper V5
- Everybody Needs Friends 5.12a
- Give Detox Mountain 5.12a a few good burns.
- Onsight the 5.11a at the Gallery I can't think of.

I'm sure there will be a few more goals to set for the weekend. Should the weather stay good it will be a super nice weekend. Carmen and Chris are coming up from Nashville and Drew is coming South from Illinois State. He's finally strong again.

Wiggity Wednesday

2009-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a day...a day of sends! The list runs down like this.

- Warm up on pretty much everything on Reefer Madness boulder.
- Send this mantle on Reefer. Pretty hard. V3?
- Move to Industry 5.12a and send first go, setting the draws.
- Go to Group Therapy 5.10c send first go, setting the draws. (Overhung pumpy climbing, "not my style.")
- Sent Arete Syndrom V5.
- Sent Matt's Sloper Problem V3, in 4-5 goes.

It was definitely a good day and I hope that I can make it out with such a cool crew again in during the middle of the week!

Here is some video of the things that went down!

Jackson Falls - The Wednesday Edition from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

Looks like I'll probably be getting out with Mike to Draper's Bluff on Saturday too. Hopefully there will be some interesting things to come from that venture!

Video

2009-04-06T17:50:00.001-07:00

Not too much substance but there is a little bit of videoing that was done at least.

A Few Moderates From The Falls... from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

Also, it is looking like I'm gonna get to head out to Jackson for a quick afternoon on Wednesday. I'm hoping to tick off Industry real quickly, knock out Arete Syndrome, and then have enough energy to run a few laps on Group Therapy. Who knows I might even try to send Psycho Therapy too. I might just go crazy!

Saturday at Jackson

2009-04-05T09:43:00.001-07:00

Well, I ended up getting just a little later start of Friday than I had hoped but it was still a great day. A friend from school, Sean, that hadn't climbed before ended up heading out with me too. We made it to Jackson close to 5 and immediately went down the rope to get after some bouldering. Warmed up on a boulder I hadn't ever hit and tried a few little interesting problems. Nothing too difficult though. Check out a few of the problems I wanted to get some beta on by Yosemite slab but they were all wet, so we moved on over to Arete Syndrome. I ended up getting darn close and figured out some good beta. By the end I was consistently falling right at the last move. After that we called it quits and went up to set camp.

Saturday brought a nice nights sleep and a fair amount of soreness unfortunately. We started the day warming up on Earthbound Misfits 5.10a, a super-classic at the falls. Sean killed it, only falling twice. It was pretty awesome. Then we went over to this little 5.11b called Hue-Cool (Hue is pronounced like the word Way), and I was able to get the flash of that one. It was pretty freaking awesome too. Basically, it is just a 2 bolt boulder problem. It starts with some hard moves to a big throw, then a small traverse on a ledge. From the ledge you gain a large hueco and move up to another nice pocket and clip. From there the holds get worse and the crux is really finding a decent enough stance to clip the bolts from. I found one but it was sucky, and I'm sure quite ugly.

After this we decided to go back and do a little bouldering, and I was psyched to try Arete Syndrome again. First go I almost nailed it! It'll definitely go next time! We then moved on a did some more bouldering by Yosemite Slab since that stuff was now dry. I tried the supposed V7, but couldn't decide whether I was starting correctly since the problem didn't feel any harder than the V3 that is just to the left of it. I ended up repeating that V3 Cold Fusion again. After that we ran down to the Hidden Peaks area and Chris and Sean got on Cheerio Bowl and I flailed on some peoples Top Rope on Detox Mountain .12a quickly. I think I had like 6 falls. Pretty disappointing. I think it would be a little better if i wasn't so wiped. We ended up the day doing some of the easy stuff on Reefer Madness boulders then.

I've got a video coming soon!

Shikadang.

2009-04-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well, after much fretting, sweating, and betting against it, I have a climbing partner for the weekend! I'm pretty happy with that little fact. Thankfully, I had made plans with my buddy Chris from Nashville like two weeks ago and had forgotten all about it. So he is going to be coming up Friday afternoon/evening and we'll get in a FULL day on Saturday since the weather is looking to be pretty dicey on Sunday. So here are a few ideal goals for the weekend.

Friday:
- Roll in early afternoon
- Fusion V6 - a like two move extension to Cold Fusion that I did last time at The Falls. (Kind of strange too because those moves don't make it twice as hard. We'll see.
- Get some beta sussed out for Bagpiper V5.
- Get beta on Footwiser V8.
- Get beta and maybe sent an Unnamed V7 by Yosemite Slab.
- Suss some beta on Arete Syndrome Left V5.
- Not be totally worked for Saturday.

Saturday:
- Group Therapy .10b
- Yuppie with a Gun .11a (Onsight?)
- Industry .12a (Should go with me setting the draws)
- If I still feel good give Detox Mountain a shot.
- If I still feel good, night bouldering.

Big list of things to do, I know. I'm still gonna be taking it pretty easy too though with the finger. I hope things work out well. I want to be in the best shape possible for the summer! I'll be sure to get after some video too. Expect some footage when I get back!

Spring Break

2009-03-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

The weather turned out good for the past few days, and thankfully some sends and good times were able to be had.

I ended up driving to Jackson early Wednesday afternoon to take advantage of that good day and good temps. Quickly, I parked strapped on my crash pad and ran to get in a few problems before dark. Luckly I was able to knock out repeats of a few problems and send a new one. Finally, I was able to get Cold Fusion V3 finished up. It is this stunning arete, that has for some reason just consistently thrown me off, but I nailed it first go. After that I did some more bouldering around Spleef, just mainly running a few circuits. Kevin Martin cruised in later that evening and we prepped for the next day.

Thursday, Kevin and I warmed up on a few easy climbs and met up with my friend KR from school. Then we headed over to Hidden Treasure since Kevin wanted to give it a go. I figured I'd at least try hanging the draws for him, so I laced up and tied in...AND SENT! I was super pumped. Can't believe it finally happened. After that we chilled for the rest of the day and Mike C. rolled in that night.

Friday, we woke up and ran over to the Hidden Peaks area of the falls and warmed up on a few easy climbs again. After that it was off to an old project of mine Industry .12a. I ended up getting damn close on my first go, and in spite of my finger being a little tweaky decided to give it a second burn. Bad idea. Fell off of the last move though, but now it looks like I'm gonna take a little more time off. That is what I get for being a dummy and not listening to my body though, I suppose.

Saturday, we just really hung out and climbed some moderates and did a lot of easy bouldering. Today, then we headed out from the Falls at around noon. Sad times, but it is too tempting to be hanging around all of that climbing!

Here is a brief video of some of the climbs from the weekend! Enjoy!

Spring Break Sampling from Logan Smith on Vimeo.

Spring Break

2009-03-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it is officially spring break at Murray State University and I was able to kick it off with a proper 10 hours of sleep last night. Not too shabby I'd say.

Climbing plans are quite murky right now though. We've been getting rain here since last night so it is going to take a day or two more for Jackson Falls to dry up. I'm looking at heading up there ideally on like Tuesday night or Wednesday morning to meet up with my friend Kevin Martin from Truman State, up in NW Missouri. Let's just hope that we have some cooperation from the weather.

I've been slowly easing back into pulling harder on my wall and yesterday I was finally able to actually hit a smaller crimp and not have it just be excruciatingly painful. Thats awesome. Unfortunately, I still don't think that I'll be able to do any really hard climbing over break since there is still a considerable amount of rehab that the finger needs.

In other news, Mexico for the fall isn't going to happen. Luckily, I've found all of this out in time that there is still quite a good chance that I'll be able to get my student teaching placement and still participate in the Belize student teaching program. I'm pretty pumped. I got all of my paperwork for the Y yesterday too! Things are finally falling into place!

Active Rest

2009-03-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

So, today was my first real day of 'active rest' where I starting in doing a little bit of climbing to start working the finger back to strength. It feels good too. I just hovered around on jug for a while and got to work out the upper body quite well. Definitely a nice afternoon! Things are looking pretty good for possibilities of sends during Spring Break!

Updates...

2009-03-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well the finger seems to be healing up pretty quickly. It seems to be really good and strong anytime I'm applying pressure with all four fingers. When I switch to a three finger open hand though it is still quite tweaky though. I'm just planning to keep on resting it up so that it'll be back to 100% hopefully by the time Spring Break rolls around.

Speaking of which the itinerary for the trip is looking something like this:

Leave for Conway Friday and get in some night bouldering at Fountain Red. Camp there
Drive to HCR Saturday morning and climb there the next two days.
Monday head back to Conway and maybe rest.
Tuesday Petit Jean or go solo to FR.
Wednesday, rest. Drive to Jackson.
Thursday-Sunday climb at JF with Kevin Martin
Friday evening, Lindsay and Wayne roll in.
Sends

I'm pretty excited to say the least and while I plan to try and push the limits some I'm definitely going to mind the finger quite a bit. I'm not ready for an epic finger injury. Tape, tape, tape.

Some big ticks that I'm hoping to knock off of this list over the break are:

Lavender Eye .12a - HCR
Even Dirtier V5 - HCR
Always Lead the Possum V6 - Fountain Red
Grungesex V6 - Down South
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades .11a - HCR
Newton's Law V6 - Fountain Red
Gak Traverse V5 - Fountain Red
Hidden Treasure .12a - Jackson (Has finally reached the status of EPIC!)
THC Sit V5 - Jackson (Did the stand right before I messed the tendon)
OBD Left & Direct V4 & V6 - Jackson

I'd be happy to tick off any other random sends too. These are just of priority! Definitely want to get some good things down before it is off to Colorado, and then off to Mexico! So much to do, such little time.

Congrats to Wayne for a sick weekend too, with sends of Orbital Mechanics V8, Even Dirtier V5, and Hammerhead V7. Probably something else sick too. He's tearing it up. Lindsay finished up Always Lead the Possum V6 too. Sends can only be expected to be increasing once this weather clears up too!!!! Best of luck to all.

Pictures from last weekend

2009-02-21T14:55:00.001-08:00

Calvin, who went climbing with us last weekend ended up putting some pictures up on the facebook. Here are the shots.

Jackson Falls 2.15.2009

2009-02-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Good day. Started out with some bouldering and I flashed a cool little V2 or V3. Then we moved over to the Yosemite Slab area and messed around of that. Then we rolled over to Reefer Madness boulder and I ran a lap on Ghetto Life V1 and Juicy Fruit V1. I messed around on Wolverine V6, a cool big dyno and latched the top a few times but couldn't quite pull it out. Then I started working Juicy Fruit Sit V6 and was able to get that sent after about 5 or 6 goes. Pretty psyched on that one.

Next, we went over and I gave Hidden Treasure three more goes. No cigar though. Figured out new beta though and it should go hopefully first go next weekend. Fingers crossed!

Non-Updates

2009-02-14T16:25:00.001-08:00

Well, there have been few updates lately because there has been very little climbing done. Last weekend I went up to Draper's Bluff for a day and didn't do anything note worthy. Been climbing outside on the bouldering wall a lot too. Putting up some really cool stuff. Training a lot for endurance too. I finally made it to the point where I can hang on the wall for a little over 3 minutes. Granted I'm using big holds mostly, but still at the angle of my wall I think it is a somewhat noteworthy accomplishment. I use small holds in between too...

Tomorrow though I'm heading to Jackson Falls with Mike C. and a friend of his. I'm going to jump on Hidden Treasure or Everybody Needs Friends for sure, but with the high at around 39 degrees it's going to be a pretty cold day. Not the best for the crimps on Hidden Treasure. We'll see how things turn out though! I'm hoping for the best!

Ice Storm of the Century, Part Dos

2009-02-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I suppose that I asked for it. The weather came and it was heinous. Fortunately, things weren't so bad in Murray, but my mom is still at home without any power. Predictions for some of the more rural areas on Western Kentucky are still looking at around another week and a half for power. It's pretty devastating.

Anyways, we were fortunate enough to be able to make it out of town Thursday morning and made it to Nashville safe and sound where we then headed down to Foster Falls for climbing on Saturday and Sunday. Here are some photos from Ice Break 2009.

ICE!!!

Powerless but warm on Wednesday night:

Heading into Land Between the Lakes on our way to Nashville:

The waterfall at Foster's Falls:

The cool bridge over the creek fed by the falls:

The creek again:

Chris and I:

Twist and Shout 5.9+:

Just a cool picture:

Rapping in to a route:

Things went pretty good the weekend too. I onsighted a few .10b's and a slew of .9s and .9+s. Got an interesting .11a called Junkyard clean on TR. Someone offered their rope up to me because I was gawking so that's why I didn't lead. Also gave another really cool .11a, Snake Charmer a go. It's about a 20 ft face to a huge roof then another 20ft of headwall. Pretty cool, and got it with two falls. Should go next time now that I've figured the beta.

Pretty good time though, and now school is back. Might be heading down to Foster's again this weekend though, because of the weather. Can't wait!

Ice Storm of the Century

2009-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Bring it.

Mid-Week Release

2009-01-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

With my school schedule this semester, I'm fortunate enough to be finished with my classes by 12:30, and my bud Kevin and I took advantage of that today by heading down to King's Bluff in Clarksville, Tennessee.

King's Bluff can be best described as a chossy short little bluff that has been grid bolted, almost as badly as some things down in Boulder Canyon. However, it's proximity to Murray and the fact that it faces to the South make the crag a pretty convenient place to go and climb during cooler days when shaded climbs might just not be reasonable.

Today was a pretty relaxed day too. Kevin and I started by heading down to one of the farther and less climbed areas and knocked out five different climbs - all dirty as hell- all 5.9 or less. We then headed back in the other direction and knocked out three more pitches before the end of the day. One of which was a pretty cool little .10c that I flashed called Short and Sporty. A pretty appropriate name since the route only has two bolts and anchors.

Anyways, that pretty much caps the day. Needless to say it was pretty awesome and provided just the time off from school that I think everyone needs during the middle of the week!

Gitmo is going out of business...

2009-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

I need a plane ticket!

Three Day Weekend

2009-01-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we were fortunate enough to have a three day weekend this first weekend back to school, and I was able to make as much of it as I could with some climbing.

On Saturday, I woke up with the intent to drive down to Nashville and spend the day climbing in the gym there. Except, when I stepped outside and realized that the sky was clearing off and the temps weren't extremely bad, I placed a call to Mike and we were on our way to Drapers Bluff in So iLL within the hour. It was a pretty cool day too. We started out doing a little bouldering and we both made quick work of an interesting V4. I then worked an interesting little V7 dyno that I got pretty close too (tips went right over the jug), but I just couldn't finish it up. We then moved up the hill to a different boulder called the Egg. It has some pretty sweet problems, one of which is the super classic Gun's N Roses V9. A definite must...if you're climbing at that level. Mike and I however worked on two little V5's for a bit, Scrambled Eggs and Barfly. We figured out most of the moves for each but just couldn't quite put together a send on either one.

After this we decided that we were sort of disheartened with the bouldering and headed back down to the cars and picked up our rope gear, and I suckered Mike into trudging up the hill with all of his trad gear. I also suckered him into leading up a super cool 5.6 pitch of trad called Bloody Nose. Definitely a classic climb and we then set up top rope on a cool .10a on the rappel down. I flashed it! .10a TR flash! Sick! After this we moved over and tried to finish up on a pretty cool .11a there called Leap of Faith. I thrutched through the first two bolts and the cruised right up to the fourth where there is a pretty good rest. Then it gets down to business with small crimpy sidepulls to bad open hand slopey sidepulls. Once you gain the highest slopey side pull you make a right hand move to a terrible backhand undercling (?)then have to get these really awkward feet and make a move up to a shallow jug. From there I just bypassed the last bolt and mantled out onto the large ledge and clipped the anchors. Unfortunately, I didn't figoure out this beta the first time...nor the second...but the third was the charm.

Sunday was a homework day, and then yesterday we went down to the gym in Nashville to climb. There, we met up with Chris and Carmen and proceeded to tear the gym to pieces. Everyone climbed pretty well and it was a good time climbing with that group.

The weather is looking good for this coming weekend, and hopefully things will stay that way and I can finish up some of my long standing projects from the fall! Today though, I'm glued to the TV for this inaguration!

The Shield

2009-01-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Shield has to be one of the most aesthetic and coolest lines that I've ever seen and can definitely say that it is one of my life goals to send. Here are some pictures of the sweet line and a cool video of Jason Kehl on the second ascent. Lines like this are why I climb!

Back Home...

2009-01-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it back to Murray yesterday evening. We woke up early, around 8 or so, and were at Horseshoe at 9 to try and finish up a few things real quickly. This morning I was with Josh, another friend from UCA that I've met through Wayne and Lindsay. We quickly went up to the North Forty and warmed up then went and I finished up Good Daze V5 on the second go. After this we met up with Wayne and Lindsay briefly, and then booked it over to the South Idaho boulders to work on Even Dirtier V5, a cool variation to Dirty Bitch V3. Although I was able to work through all of the moves, I couldn't put it all together and decided that it would be a good idea to go ahead a cruise on home.

My time in Arkansas was amazing and never have I experienced such hospitality. The Hartlerodes were extremely generous in all manners and I couldn't have imagined a better family to spend so much time with, and to get to know so well. It was also great catching up with all of the good friends I made last summer, and having such an awesome community to climb with. I really hope that I can do this again in the near future!

Horseshoe...

2009-01-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Well, today we ended up just sticking around closer to Compton, and Wayne's house, which put us at Horseshoe again. I was pretty cool with it too, although I did a have a few things that I would have liked to finish at Fontaine Red.

Anyways, the weather was gorgeous and it was an awesome day to go and work on ticking off a few of the things I put on my list. The morning started with us cruising up to the warm-up boulder, and quickly getting our muscles worked out and ready for a day of some hard sending. Directly after that Wayne spotted an interesting V6 on a boulder directly behind us called Static Tang. The line starts on two crummy crimps and pops out to a gaston with your left. From there you do you a hand foot match with your rights, and then bring your right hand over to the gaston. Next, you pull up hard onto the foot and nail a pretty decent 3/4 pad crimp with your right, get your feet righted up and hit another 3/4 pad crimp and throw to the top. Pretty sick problem and everyone made pretty quick sends of it. I was surprised and sent it second go!

Next, we headed over to the Leatherface boulder and I worked at a few of the moves on Leatherface V7, a cool problem on my ticklist. Not feeling too psyched on it, I ended up thrutching my way through Chainsaw V4, another problem on my ticklist! Sweet! Day one back at HCR and I've already dented the to-do list. After this we headed over and worked a few problems that I just wasn't feeling and towards the end of the day I found my self back a Trouser Chili V4 (on the tick list for '09). This problem gave me a helluva time earlier in the trip and it proceeded to to so again. I worked the beta from the end though and found a cool sequence that worked and was able to put it all together right as the sun finished setting.

Pretty sweet day I'd say. I've already been able to make a decent dent in the things to-do list, and I'm going to be on my way out of HCR tomorrow for Murray. I do have plans to hit up a few problems tomorrow morning for my last dose. Hopefully I'll have some good luck and will leave HCR in high spirits!

Video is Up!

2009-01-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

Check it.

Big up to Wayne for being a bad ass at editing and what not. If it weren't for him, this would just be another soundless, crummy video clip but this is instead something much more! Thanks!

Tomorrow we are off to Fontaine Red again and I will hopefully be able to finish up Always Lead the Possum V6 (it was soaking wet last Sunday). Keeping my fingers crossed. We're also going to check out an area called Fred's Cave/New Wave Wall, which is notorious for such lines like One Inch Pinch and Chunk up the Deuce from Dosage V. Pretty psyched and hopefully tomorrow I'll have some problems already gone from my tick list for 2009!

Tick List 2009

2009-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well I've put together a list of things that I would like to be able to tick off this year for climbing. It's mostly routes, but there are a few boulders for the trips that I intend to make down to the HCR area. Here is what it looks like:

Routes:

.12b
- Cro-Magnon Warrior - J-Falls
- Tasmanian Devil - J-Falls
- Space Cowboy - J-Falls
- Remove La Ropa - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Balance of Power - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Nagual - King's Bluff

.12a
- Hidden Treasure (!!!) - J-Falls
- Everybody Needs Friends - J-Falls
- Lavender Eye - HCR
- Detox Mountain - J-Falls
- Tacit - The Red River Gorge
- Energizer - J-Falls
- Cranial Implosion - J-Falls
- Cowboys and Crossdressers - J-Falls
- Team Honda - J-Falls/Promised Land
- Industry - J-Falls
- Prelude to Harvest - King's Bluff

.11d
- The Vow - J-Falls
- The Reckoning - J-Falls

.11c
- Access Denied - J-Falls
- The Twist - J-Falls
- Blue Velvet - J-Falls

.11b
- Splinter Faction - J-Falls
- Stand and Deliver - J-Falls
- Fancy Feet - J-Falls

.11a
- Captain Crunch - J-Falls
- Yuppie with a Gun - J-Falls
- Horseshoes and Handgrenades - HCR
- Flingin' Hog - J-Falls

.10d
- Fragile Egos/Into the Sun - J-Falls
- King's Jester - J-Falls
- Wild at Heart - J-Falls

.10c
- Group Therapy - J-Falls
- The Minstrel - J-Falls

.10b
- Psychotherapy - J-Falls

Boulders:

V8
- Numerical Methods - HCR
- Orbital Mechanics - HCR
- Project V8 by Miho - HCR
- Zig-Zag - J-Falls

V7
- Cloud of Stars - HCR
- Black Snapper - Fontaine Red
- Leather Face - HCR
- David & Goliath - J-Falls
- Space Invaders - J-Falls

V6
- Always Lead the Possum - Fontaine Red
- Newton's Law - Fontaine Red
- Pinball - J-Falls
- OBD Direct - J-Falls

V5
- Gak Traverse - Fontaine Red
- Bag Piper - J-Falls
- THC (sit) - J-Falls

V4
- Chainsaw - HCR
- Trouser Chili - HCR
- OBD Left - J-Falls

V3
- Cold Fusion J-Falls
- THC - J-Falls

Hidden Treasure

2009-01-05T08:07:00.001-08:00

My friend Carmen that I climb with from Nashville e-mailed me some pictures today of me climbing on Hidden Treasure .12a at Jackson Falls. Pretty cool pictures and it shows just how small and thin it is in the crux.

Pulling off of the rest hold and onto the face crimps:

After you traverse right, clip, and traverse a little more you come to a point where you have to continue up. For me it's a big reach with the right followed by a high foot with the left. This is the crux for me and is what's holding me back from a send.

Here is after I've worked the crux and am moving up through more small, but larger edges and to the top:

This is definitely one of the routes that I'm most psyched on at The Falls for the spring. Hopefully, the weather is going to stay good for us and we'll have lots of good temps and dry weather! I'm also getting together a tick list of projects I'd really like to send during the year 2009. I've got big expectations and hopefully I'll be able to do the list some justice!

Font Red

2009-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Sent Rings of Your Anus V3, second go, and La Beak V4 in about 5 goes or so. Worked Always Follow the Possum for a while and fell off of the last move a couple of times. Towards the end I really got the beta dialed in and it should hopefully go early in the day the next time I'm able to make it to the Power Wall! It's looking like we're going to have to take a few rest days because of exhaustion and weather so updates may be sparce. Mom, I will call you tomorrow!